


Victory

by Celandine



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 22:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4852907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celandine/pseuds/Celandine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haymitch has never had one of the tributes he's mentored win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Victory

**Author's Note:**

> Cruise Director asked me for a Hunger Games ficlet. This was my first attempt, which didn't actually go along with her prompt, so she will get another one instead.

Being a victor in the Hunger Games means that for the rest of his life, Haymitch will have no privacy, no personal life that isn't subject to being reported, recorded, recapped each year when the mentors for each district are introduced. As District Twelve's only surviving victor, he has no choice but to be the mentor every year, to stand in front of the cameras (drunk, yes, but less so than most of the time—Effie makes sure of that, and makes no secret of her distaste at having to do so), to pretend that he thinks the tributes from Twelve can win.

As each one dies, a little more of Haymitch dies too.

There's no reason to expect anything different this year, after he's seen forty-six of his tributes die, two by two. The only thing unusual is that Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her sister Prim's place. Haymitch knows of Katniss, slightly, the way that he knows of all the young people. He doesn't want to know them better.

Katniss is prickly, uncomfortable to be around, much like Haymitch himself, but she's easier in some ways than her fellow tribute. Peeta reminds him too much of Maysilee Donner.

He works with them nevertheless, gives what advice he can, what he thinks they might actually listen to. He finds sponsors to send them needed supplies. He maneuvers to give them a chance to be declared joint victors.

Nevertheless he is as surprised as anyone else when they win. When Katniss wins, really, even if she couldn't have done it without Peeta. She wins the way that Haymitch himself won, by finding a way to go outside the rules, to undermine the Games themselves.

For ten minutes, Haymitch is happy.

Then he realizes that their victory only ensures that they, that Katniss especially, will be caught just as he was. They'll be televised for the rest of their lives. Their romance might or might not be real—Haymitch can't tell, not for Katniss anyhow—but they will have to pretend it is. They will be hostage to each other.

Death might have been the real victory after all.


End file.
